‘”The mood was good. They feel they are very much in this thing,” coach Tom Renney said. “It’s a short memory about the bad stuff and a long memory about the good stuff. We’re taking out of (Friday) what we should and also leaving behind what we shouldn’t.”‘

'On Saturday, Ruff also addressed the play of Max Afinogenov, who has struggled in the postseason. "I like Max. He's a great guy. But it's going to come down to what's going to give us the best chance to win. It's either play well, or…he may not play. I mean, that could be a possibility."'

'"I've pretty well seen everything from him, from the physical side to the playmaking side," said Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff. "I know he hasn't been on the scoresheet from a goal standpoint but his intangibles – the penalty killing work, the work he's done against their top line, we really did feel he'd be a big addition."'

‘When the couple decided to get married, they then took the next step — a Sabres-themed wedding. The bridal party wore red-and-black dresses; the groomsmen wore red-and-black jerseys; and both Josiah’s and Tina’s fathers wore the classic blue-and-gold.’

'“He certainly played very, very well,” Rangers coach Tom Renney said. “If he’s not having an A-game maybe we do take this contest. We scored a couple of goals on him we thought exposed some parts of his game, but he made some terrific saves for them.”'

'Pay no mind that Zubrus was absent from the score sheet in Buffalo’s 3-2 comeback victory over the Rangers on Friday night at HSBC Arena. You might as well credit him with nine assists, because every hit he administered — and they came with a relentless fury — rendered New York susceptible to what transpired in the Sabres’ twogoal third period.'

'Stafford was on the ice with Vanek after playing with nearly everybody else. He started in his usual spot alongside center Chris Drury and right wing Dainius Zubrus. Then he went down to play with Connolly and Adam Mair. After a brief reunion with Drury, coach Lindy Ruff placed Stafford with Vanek and center Derek Roy.'

'It’s no accident that Ruff is 49-30 as a playoff coach, fourth all-time percentage-wise. He doesn’t overcoach. But he has a sense for when his team needs a tweaking or a nudge, especially at playoff time.'

'Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff went down to three lines for much of the final period in Game Two against New York, and Afinogenov was the most notable forward left out. Drew Stafford took Afinogenov’s spot at right wing with center Derek Roy and Vanek, and the line scored to give the Sabres a 3-2 victory.'

'The game had a 25.2 rating, which is about 2 1/2 times what the Sabres’ first-round series with the New York Islanders averaged on MSG even though it was competing with a two-hour edition of “American Idol” (15.9). The Versus rating appears to confirm what local researchers have suggested — that the Sabres ratings on MSG have been badly underreported.'